Protecting your Fort Worth pool from rain storms
- July 18, 2014
- Pool Industry News and Tips, Pool Safety and Health,
With all this rain currently hitting the Fort Worth area, here are some tips to keep your pool safe before and after the storm.
Protecting your pool before the rain
The first step to take before a rain storm comes to your backyard is to remove all pool furniture from the patio. This will prevent any objects from falling into and damaging your pool.
According to Pool and Spa Outdoor, you should then turn off the circuit breaker that provides power to the pump, filter, heater and lighting. This will help you avoid any electrical problems caused by flooding. The website also suggests covering your pump motor with a plastic tarp to prevent excess water damage or to even remove it and bring it indoors.
Do not drain your pool. This could cause damage if the ground around the pool becomes over saturated with rainwater. However, the storms about to hit Fort Worth are expected to bring in two to four inches of rain in the next two days, according to the National Weather Service. In that case, you may lower the water levels of your pool, but by no more than two inches. Additionally, close the skimmer valve in order to avoid damage to your pool's pump.
Last thing to do before any major storm is to balance the chemicals of your pool and add algaecide. Rainwater may carry organic contaminants, so doing this before the storm should shorten the cleanup process.
After the rain
Rainwater can lead to changes to your pool water's chemistry. First, rain will cause the pH levels of your pool to rise while reducing the total alkalinity because of dilution. High pH levels make chlorine less effective at killing bacteria and a lower TA will allow pH levels to rise faster.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a pH level to be between 7.2 and 7.8. Any level higher than this can cause eye and skin irritation and levels lower than 7.0 may damage your pool. You will want to shock and balance your water. Call your local Fort Worth pool service for help, but the goal is to boost the chlorine level and then allow it to decrease before you balance the water.
Skim the surface of your pool and check the skimmer baskets before restoring power to all of your pool's systems and running the pump and filter. Keep the filtration system running for at least 10 hours, Pool and Spa Outdoor explained.
If you need help with any of these processes, contact your Fort Worth pool service.